The Top 10 Cars for 2012: PM's Auto Excellence Awards

After a year of test-driving the latest automotive offerings, we debated the functionality, style, performance, technology, and driving character of the 2012 cars to decide our favorites. Here are the 10 best cars of 2012, sorted by segment.

2012 Dodge Durango

2012 Dodge Durango

VERSATILITYBase Price: $28,995

The promise of the modern SUV is having a vehicle that can take you—and your gear and family—anywhere. It's not every day that you pack in all the kids, hitch up a camper trailer and trundle down a gnarly trail to a secluded spot, but it's nice to know you've got the option. The Durango is a vehicle that provides nearly limitless opportunities. It seats seven in a cleanly designed interior, can tow up to 7400 pounds and has the mechanical hardware—a robust center differential rather than a light-duty clutch pack—to traverse terrain that would humble most sport utes. During a recent seven-SUV torture test on a Michigan sand dune, we used the Durango to tow out the other SUVs that got beached.

But the Durango is not simply a talented off-roader. There's no on-road penalty for its capabilities. It drives with a sharpness that belies its 2½ tons and its commodious interior. On the highway, drivers can luxuriate in the rich materials, throne-like seats and an abundance of available features, including a 360-hp V8 and adaptive cruise control. If you skip that V8, which is a wise move considering how well the 290-hp V6 performs, the Durango returns decent fuel economy. We averaged 20 mpg during our test. Plus the Durango is wrapped in a clean and attractive body. This is one vehicle that really can do it all.

2012 BMW 1M Coupe

2012 BMW 1M Coupe

Fun To DriveBase Price: $47,010

Sometimes personality trumps style—just ask us about the BMW 1M. It's the least expensive of BMW's mighty high-po M cars and also the least pretty. The flared fenders and gaping mouth tacked onto the base 1 Series make it even chunkier, not sleek and lithe like a typical sports car. But we still clutch the keys like a toddler with a lollipop. There's a surplus of performance—a turbocharged 335-hp straight-six engine, mammoth tires and brakes, and stiffer suspension—but speed is not the main thrill. The other subjective measures, such as perfectly linear brake action, steering that feels hard-wired to your brain, delicate road signals communicated through the seat, and the creamy six-speed manual transmission, all combine for a dynamic delight. And it's those traits that separate simply fast cars from the truly rewarding ones. The 1M is simultaneously ferocious and controllable, a machine that doesn't neuter the driver with safe but boring handling. It nudges you to explore that outer edge of speed and control, and then brings you safely back. After a day or so behind the wheel, it's all too easy to believe the fantasy that you're fit for the Monaco Grand Prix. The 1M is not a car that simply gets you from place to place; instead it seduces you into taking the long route to your destination just so you can exercise its talents a little longer.